Tennent's Natural History of Ceylon - 1861

CHAP. VIII.

BIRDS.

Of the Birds of the island, upwards of three hundred and
twenty species have been indicated, for which we are indebted to
the persevering labours of Dr. Templeton, Dr. Kelaart, and Mr.
Layard; but many yet remain to be identified. In fact, to the eye
of a stranger, their prodigious numbers, and especially the myriads
of waterfowl which, notwithstanding the presence of the crocodiles,
people the lakes and marshes in the eastern provinces, form one of
the marvels of Ceylon.

In the glory of their plumage, the birds of the interior are
surpassed by those of South America and Northern India; and the
melody of their song bears no comparison with that of the warblers
of Europe, but the want of brilliancy is compensated by their
singular grace of form, and the absence of prolonged and modulated
harmony by the rich and melodious tones of their clear and musical
calls. In the elevations of the Kandyan country there are a few,
such as the robin of Neuera-ellia
1
and the long-tailed thrush
2
,
whose song rivals that of their European namesakes; but, far beyond
the attraction of their notes, the traveller rejoices in the
flute-like voices of the Oriole, the Dayal-bird
3
,
[pg 242] and some others equally
charming; when at the first dawn of day, they wake the forest with
their clear réveil.

It is only on emerging from the dense woods and coming into the
vicinity of the lakes and pasture of the low country, that birds
become visible in great quantities. In the close jungle one
occasionally hears the call of the copper-smith
4
, or the strokes of the great
orange-coloured woodpecker
5
as it beats the decaying trees in search of insects, whilst
clinging to the bark with its finely-pointed claws, and leaning for
support upon the short stiff feathers of its tail. And on the lofty
branches of the higher trees, the hornbill
6
(the toucan of the East), with
its enormous double casque, sits to watch the motions of the tiny
reptiles and smaller birds on which it preys, tossing them into the
air when seized, and catching them in its gigantic mandibles as
they fall.
7
The remarkable excrescence on the beak of this
[pg 243]
extraordinary bird may serve to explain the statement of the
Minorite friar Odoric, of Portenau in Friuli, who travelled in
Ceylon in the fourteenth century, and brought suspicion on the
veracity of his narrative by asserting that he had there seen
"birds with two heads."
8

THE HORNBILL.

The Singhalese have a belief that the hornbill never resorts to
the water to drink; but that it subsists exclusively by what it
catches in its prodigious bill while
[pg 244] rain is falling. This
they allege is associated with the incessant screaming which it
keeps up during showers.

As we emerge from the dark shade, and approach park-like
openings on the verge of the low country, quantities of pea-fowl
are to be found either feeding on the seeds among the long grass or
sunning themselves on the branches of the surrounding trees.
Nothing to be met with in English demesnes can give an adequate
idea of the size and magnificence of this matchless bird when seen
in his native solitudes. Here he generally selects some projecting
branch, from which his plumage may hang free of the foliage, and,
if there be a dead and leafless bough, he is certain to choose it
for his resting-place, whence he droops his wings and suspends his
gorgeous train, or spreads it in the morning sun to drive off the
damps and dews of the night.

In some of the unfrequented portions of the eastern province, to
which Europeans rarely resort, and where the pea-fowl are
unmolested by the natives, their number is so extraordinary that,
regarded as game, it ceases to be "sport" to destroy them; and
their cries at early dawn are so tumultuous and incessant as to
banish sleep, and amount to an actual inconvenience. Their flesh is
excellent in flavour when served up hot, though it is said to be
indigestible; but, when cold, it contracts a reddish and
disagreeable tinge.

The European fable of the jackdaw borrowing the plumage of the
peacock, has its counterpart in Ceylon, where the popular legend
runs that the pea-fowl stole the plumage of a bird called by the
natives avitchia. I have not been able to identify the
species which bears
[pg 245] this name; but it utters a cry
resembling the word matkiang! which in Singhalese means, "I
will complain!" This they believe is addressed by the bird
to the rising sun, imploring redress for its wrongs. The
avitchia is described as somewhat less than a crow, the
colours of its plumage being green, mingled with red.

But of all, the most astonishing in point of multitude, as well
as the most interesting from their endless variety, are the myriads
of aquatic birds and waders which frequent the lakes and
watercourses; especially those along the coast near Batticaloa,
between the mainland and the sand formations of the shore, and the
innumerable salt marshes and lagoons to the south of Trincomalie.
These, and the profusion of perching birds, fly-catchers, finches,
and thrushes, that appear in the open country, afford sufficient
quarry for the raptorial and predatory species—eagles, hawks,
and falcons—whose daring sweeps and effortless undulations
are striking objects in the cloudless sky.

I. ACCIPITRES. Eagles.—The Eagles, however, are
small, and as compared with other countries rare; except, perhaps,
the crested eagle
9
,
which haunts the mountain provinces and the lower hills,
disquieting the peasantry by its ravages amongst their poultry; and
the gloomy serpent eagle
10
,
which, descending from its eyrie in the lofty jungle, and uttering
a loud and plaintive cry, sweeps cautiously around the lonely tanks
and marshes, to feed upon the reptiles on their margin. The largest
eagle is the great sea Erne
11
,
seen on the
[pg 246] northern coasts and the salt lakes of
the eastern provinces, particularly when the receding tide leaves
bare an expanse of beach, over which it hunts, in company with the
fishing eagle
12
,
sacred to Siva. Unlike its companions, however, the sea eagle
rejects garbage for living prey, and especially for the sea snakes
which abound on the northern coasts. These it seizes by descending
with its wings half closed, and, suddenly darting down its talons,
it soars aloft again with its writhing victim.
13

Hawks.—The beautiful Peregrine Falcon
14
is rare, but the Kestrel
15
is found almost universally;
and the bold and daring Goshawk
16
wherever wild crags and precipices afford safe breeding places. In
the district of Anarajapoora, where it is trained for hawking, it
is usual, in lieu of a hood, to darken its eyes by means of a
silken thread passed through holes in the eyelids. The ignoble
birds of prey, the Kites
17
,
keep close by the shore, and hover round the returning boats of the
fishermen to feast on the fry rejected from their nets.

THE "DEVIL BIRD."

Owls.—Of the nocturnal accipitres the most
remarkable is the brown owl, which, from its hideous yell, has
acquired the name of the "Devil-Bird."
18
The Singhalese
[pg 247] regard it literally with horror, and
its scream by night in the vicinity of a village is bewailed as the
harbinger of impending calamity.
19
There is a popular legend in connection with it, to the effect that
a morose
[pg 248] and savage husband, who suspected the
fidelity of his wife, availed himself of her absence to kill her
child, of whose paternity he was doubtful, and on her return placed
before her a curry prepared from its flesh. Of this the unhappy
woman partook, till discovering the crime by finding the finger of
her infant, she fled in frenzy to the forest, and there destroyed
herself. On her death she was metamorphosed, according to the
Buddhist belief, into an ulama, or Devil-bird, which still
at nightfall horrifies the villagers by repeating the frantic
screams of the bereaved mother in her agony.

II. PASSERES. Swallows.—Within thirty-five miles of
Caltura, on the western coast, are inland caves, to which the
Esculent Swift
20
resorts, and there builds the "edible bird's nest," so highly
prized in China. Near the spot a few Chinese immigrants have
established themselves, who rent the nests as a royalty from the
government, and make an annual export of the produce. But the
Swifts are not confined to this district, and caves containing
[pg
249] them have been found far in the interior, a fact which
complicates the still unexplained mystery of the composition of
their nest; and, notwithstanding the power of wing possessed by
these birds, adds something to the difficulty of believing that it
consists of glutinous material obtained from algæ.
21
In the nests brought to me
there was no trace of organisation; and the original material,
whatever it be, is so elaborated by the swallow as to present
somewhat the appearance and consistency of strings of isinglass.
The quantity of these nests exported from Ceylon is trifling.

Kingfishers.—In solitary places, where no sound
breaks the silence except the gurgle of the river as it sweeps
round the rocks, the lonely Kingfisher, the emblem of vigilance and
patience, sits upon an overhanging branch, his turquoise plumage
hardly less intense in its lustre than the deep blue of the sky
above him; and so intent is his watch upon the passing fish that
intrusion fails to scare him from his post.

Sun Birds.—In the gardens the tiny Sun Birds
22
(known as the Humming Birds of
Ceylon) hover all day long, attracted to the plants, over which
they hang poised on their glittering wings, and inserting their
curved beaks to extract the insects that nestle in the flowers.

Perhaps the most graceful of the birds of Ceylon in form and
motions, and the most chaste in colouring, is the one which
Europeans call "the Bird of Paradise,"
23
and
[pg
250] natives "the Cotton Thief," from the circumstance that
its tail consists of two long white feathers, which stream behind
it as it flies. Mr. Layard says:—"I have often watched them,
when seeking their insect prey, turn suddenly on their perch and
whisk their long tails with a jerk over the bough, as if to
protect them from injury."

TCHITREA PARADISI.

The tail is sometimes brown, and the natives have the idea that
the bird changes its plumage at stated periods, and that the
tail-feathers become white and brown in alternate years. The fact
of the variety of plumage is no doubt true, but this story as to
the alternation
[pg 251] of colours in the same individual
requires confirmation.
24

The Bulbul.—The Condatchee Bulbul25
, which, from the crest on its
head, is called by the Singhalese the "Konda Cooroola," or Tuft
bird, is regarded by the natives as the most "game" of
all birds; and training it to fight was one of the duties entrusted
by the Kings of Kandy to the Cooroowa, or Head-man, who had charge
of the King's animals and Birds. For this purpose the Bulbul is
taken from the nest as soon as the sex is distinguishable by the
tufted crown; and secured by a string, is taught to fly from hand
to hand of its keeper. When pitted against an antagonist, such is
the obstinate courage of this little creature that it will sink
from exhaustion rather than release its hold. This propensity, and
the ordinary character of its notes, render it impossible that the
Bulbul of India could be identical with the Bulbul of Iran, the
"Bird of a Thousand Songs,"
26
of which, poets say that its delicate passion for the rose gives a
plaintive character to its note.

"CISSA PUELLA."

Tailor-Bird.—The Weaver-Bird.—The
tailor-bird
27
having completed her nest, sewing together leaves by passing
through them a cotton thread twisted by herself, leaps from branch
to branch to testify her happiness by
[pg 252] a
clear and merry note; and the Indian weaver
28
, a still more ingenious artist,
hangs its pendulous dwelling from a projecting bough; twisting it
with grass into a form somewhat resembling a bottle with a
prolonged neck, the entrance being inverted, so as to baffle the
approaches of its enemies, the tree snakes and other reptiles. The
natives assert that the male bird carries fire flies to the nest,
and fastens them to its sides by a particle of soft mud;—Mr.
Layard assures me that although he has never succeeded in finding
the fire fly, the nest of the male bird (for the female occupies
another during incubation) invariably contains a patch
[pg 253] of mud
on each side of the perch. Grass is apparently the most convenient
material for the purposes of the Weaver-bird when constructing its
nest, but other substances are often substituted, and some nests
which I brought from Ceylon proved to be formed with delicate
strips from the fronds of the dwarf date-palm, Phoenix
paludosa, which happened to grow near the breeding place.

Amongst the birds of this order, one which, as far as I know, is
peculiar to the island is Layard's Mountain-jay (Cissa
puella, Blyth and Layard), is distinguished not less by the
beautiful blue colour which enlivens its plumage, than by the
elegance of its form and the grace of its attitudes. It frequents
the hill country, and is found about the mountain streams at
Neuera-ellia, and elsewhere.
29

Crows.—Of all the Ceylon birds of this order the
most familiar and notorious are the small glossy crows, whose
shining black plumage shot with blue has suggested the title of
Corvus splendens.
30
They frequent the towns in companies, and domesticate themselves in
the close vicinity of every house; and it may possibly serve to
account for the familiarity and audacity which they exhibit in
their intercourse with men, that the Dutch during their sovereignty
in Ceylon, enforced severe penalties against any one killing a
crow, under the belief that they were instrumental in extending the
[pg
254] growth of cinnamon by feeding on the fruit, and thus
disseminating the undigested seed.
31

So accustomed are the natives to their presence and exploits,
that, like the Greeks and Romans, they have made the movements of
crows the basis of their auguries; and there is no end to the
vicissitudes of good and evil fortune which may not be predicted
from the direction of their flight, the hoarse or mellow notes of
their croaking, the variety of trees on which they rest, and the
numbers in which they are seen to assemble.

All day long these birds are engaged in watching either the
offal of the offices, or the preparation for meals in the
dining-room: and as doors and windows are necessarily opened to
relieve the heat, nothing is more common than the passage of a crow
across the room, lifting on the wing some ill-guarded morsel from
the dinner-table. No article, however unpromising its quality,
provided only it be portable, can with safety be left unguarded in
any apartment accessible to them. The contents of ladies'
work-boxes, kid gloves, and pocket handkerchiefs vanish instantly
if exposed near a window or open door. They open paper parcels to
ascertain the contents; they will undo the knot on a napkin if it
encloses anything eatable, and I have known a crow to extract the
peg which fastened the lid of a basket in order to plunder the
provender within.

On one occasion a nurse seated in a garden adjoining a
regimental mess-room, was terrified by seeing a bloody clasp-knife
drop from the air at her feet; but the mystery was explained on
learning that a crow, which had been watching the cook chopping
mince-meat, had seized
[pg 255] the moment when his head was turned
to carry off the knife.

One of these ingenious marauders, after vainly attitudinising in
front of a chained watch-dog, that was lazily gnawing a bone, and
after fruitlessly endeavouring to divert his attention by dancing
before him, with head awry and eye askance, at length flew away for
a moment, and returned bringing a companion which perched itself on
a branch a few yards in the rear. The crow's grimaces were now
actively renewed, but with no better success, till its confederate,
poising itself on its wings, descended with the utmost velocity,
striking the dog upon the spine with all the force of its strong
beak. The ruse was successful; the dog started with surprise
and pain, but not quickly enough to seize his assailant, whilst the
bone he had been gnawing was snatched away by the first crow the
instant his head was turned. Two well-authenticated instances of
the recurrence of this device came within my knowledge at Colombo,
and attest the sagacity and powers of communication and combination
possessed by these astute and courageous birds.

On the approach of evening the crows near Colombo assemble in
noisy groups along the margin of the freshwater lake which
surrounds the fort on the eastern side; and here for an hour or two
they enjoy the luxury of throwing the water over their shining
backs, and arranging their plumage decorously, after which they
disperse, each taking the direction of his accustomed quarters for
the night.
32

[pg
256]

During the storms which usher in the monsoon, it has been
observed, that when coco-nut palms are destroyed by lightning, the
effect frequently extends beyond a single tree, and from the
contiguity and conduction of the spreading leaves, or some other
peculiar cause, large groups will be affected by a single flash, a
few killed instantly, and the rest doomed to rapid decay. In
Belligam Bay, a little to the east of Point-de-Galle, a small
island, which is covered with coco-nuts, has acquired the name of
"Crow Island," from being the resort of those birds, which are seen
hastening towards it in thousands towards sunset. A few years ago,
during a violent storm of thunder, such was the destruction of the
crows that the beach for some distance was covered with a black
line of their remains, and the grove on which they had been resting
was to a great extent destroyed by the same flash.
33

III. SCANSORES. Parroquets.—Of the Psittacidæ
the only examples are the parroquets, of which the most renowned is
the Palæornis Alexandri, which has the historic
distinction of bearing the name of the great conqueror of India,
having been the first of its race introduced to the knowledge of
Europe on the return of his expedition. An idea of their number may
be formed from the following statement of Mr. Layard, as to the
multitudes which are to be found on the western coast. "At Chilaw,
I have seen such vast flights of parroquets hurrying towards the
coco-nut trees which overhang the
[pg 257] bazaar, that their noise
drowned the Babel of tongues bargaining for the evening provisions.
Hearing of the swarms that resorted to this spot, I posted myself
on a bridge some half mile distant, and attempted to count the
flocks which came from a single direction to the eastward. About
four o'clock in the afternoon, straggling parties began to wend
towards home, and in the course of half an hour the current fairly
set in. But I soon found that I had no longer distinct flocks to
count, it became one living screaming stream. Some flew high in the
air till right above their homes, and dived abruptly downward with
many evolutions till on a level with the trees; others kept along
the ground and dashed close by my face with the rapidity of
thought, their brilliant plumage shining with an exquisite lustre
in the sun-light. I waited on the spot till the evening closed,
when I could hear, though no longer distinguish, the birds fighting
for their perches, and on firing a shot they rose with a noise like
the 'rushing of a mighty wind,' but soon settled again, and such a
din commenced as I shall never forget; the shrill screams of the
birds, the fluttering of their innumerable wings, and the rustling
of the leaves of the palm trees was almost deafening, and I was
glad at last to escape to the Government Rest House."
34

IV. COLUMBIDÆ. Pigeons.—Of pigeons and doves
there are at least a dozen species. Some live entirely on
trees
35
, never alighting on the ground;
others, notwithstanding the abundance of food and warmth, are
[pg
258] migratory
36
,
allured, as the Singhalese allege, by the ripening of the cinnamon
berries, and hence one species is known in the southern provinces
as the "Cinnamon Dove." Others feed on the fruits of the banyan:
and it is probably to their instrumentality that this marvellous
tree chiefly owes its diffusion, its seeds being carried by them to
remote localities. A very beautiful pigeon, peculiar to the
mountain range, discovered in the lofty trees at Neuera-ellia, has,
in compliment to the Viscountess Torrington, been named
Carpophaga Torringtoniæ.

Another, called by the natives neela-cobeya37
, although strikingly elegant
both in shape and colour, is still more remarkable for the
singularly soothing effect of its low and harmonious voice. A
gentleman who has spent many years in the jungle, in writing to me
of this bird and of the effects of its melodious song, says, that
"its soft and melancholy notes, as they came from some solitary
place in the forest, were the most gentle sounds I ever listened
to. Some sentimental smokers assert that the influence of the
propensity is to make them feel as if they could freely forgive
all who had ever offended them; and I can say with truth such
has been the effect on my own nerves of the plaintive murmurs of
the neela-cobeya, that sometimes, when irritated, and not without
reason, by the perverseness of some of my native followers, the
feeling has almost instantly subsided into placidity on suddenly
hearing the loving tones of these beautiful birds."

[pg
259]

V. GALLINÆ. The Ceylon Jungle-fowl.—The
jungle-fowl of Ceylon
38
is shown by the peculiarity of its plumage to be not only distinct
from the Indian species, but peculiar to the island. It has never
yet bred or survived long in captivity, and no living specimens
have been successfully transmitted to Europe. It abounds in all
parts of the island, but chiefly in the lower ranges of mountains;
and one of the vivid memorials which are associated with our
journeys through the hills, is its clear cry, which sounds like a
person calling "George Joyce,"
39
and rises at early morning amidst mist and dew, giving life to the
scenery, that has scarcely yet been touched by the sun-light.

The female of this handsome bird was figured many years ago by
Dr. GRAY in his illustrations of "Indian Zoology," under the
name of G. Stanleyi. The cock bird subsequently received
from LESSON, the name by which the species is now known: but its
habitat was not discovered, until a specimen having been forwarded
from Ceylon to Calcutta, Dr. BLYTH recognised it as the
long-sought-for male of Dr. Gray's specimen.

Another of the Gallinæ of Ceylon, remarkable for the
delicate pencillings of its plumage, as well as for the peculiarity
of the double spur, from which it has acquired its trivial name, is
the Galloperdix bicalcaratus, of which a figure is given
from a drawing by Mr. Gould.

[pg
260]

GALLOPERDIX BICALCARATUS.

VI. GRALLÆ.—On reaching the marshy plains and
shallow lagoons on either side of the island, the astonishment of
the stranger is excited by the endless multitudes of stilt-birds
and waders which stand in long array within the wash of the water,
or sweep in vast clouds above it. Ibises
40
, storks
41
, egrets, spoonbills
42
, herons
43
, and the smaller races of sand
larks and plovers, are seen busily traversing the wet sand, in
search of the red worm which burrows there, or peering with steady
eye to watch the motions of the small fry and aquatic insects in
the ripple on the shore.

VII. ANSERES.—Preeminent in size and beauty, the
[pg
261] tall flamingoes44
,
with rose-coloured plumage, line the beach in long files. The
Singhalese have been led, from their colour and their military
order, to designate them the "English Soldier birds."
Nothing can be more startling than the sudden flight of these
splendid creatures when alarmed; their strong wings beating the air
with a sound like distant thunder; and as they soar over head, the
flock which appeared almost white but a moment before, is converted
into crimson by the sudden display of the red lining of their
wings. A peculiarity in the beak of this bird has scarcely
attracted the attention it merits, as a striking illustration of
creative wisdom in adapting the organs of animals to their local
necessities.

FLAMINGO.

[pg
262]

The upper mandible, which is convex in other birds, is flattened
in the flamingo, whilst the lower, instead of being flat, is
convex. To those who have had an opportunity of witnessing the
action of the bird in its native haunts, the expediency of this
arrangement is at once apparent. To counteract the extraordinary
length of its legs, it is provided with a proportionately long
neck, so that in feeding in shallow water the crown of the head
becomes inverted and the upper mandible brought into contact with
the bottom; where its flattened surface qualifies it for performing
the functions of the lower one in birds of the same class; and the
edges of both being laminated, it is thus enabled, like the duck,
by the aid of its fleshy tongue, to sift before swallowing its
food.

Floating on the surface of the deeper water, are fleets of the
Anatidæ, the Coromandel teal
45
,
the Indian hooded gull
46
,
the Caspian tern, and a countless variety of ducks and smaller
fowl—pintails
47
,
teal
48
, red-crested pochards
49
, shovellers
50
, and terns.
51
Pelicans
52
in great numbers resort to the
mouths of the rivers, taking up their position at sunrise on some
projecting rock, from which to dart on the passing fish, and
returning far inland at night to their retreats among the trees,
which overshadow some solitary river or deserted tank.

I chanced upon one occasion to come unexpectedly upon one of
these remarkable breeding places during a visit which I made to the
great tank of Padivil, one of those gigantic constructions by which
the early kings of Ceylon have left imperishable records of their
reigns.

[pg
263]

It is situated in the depth of the forests to the north-west of
Trincomalie; and the tank is itself the basin of a broad and
shallow valley, enclosed between two lines of low hills, that
gradually sink into the plain as they approach towards the sea. The
extreme breadth of the included space may be twelve or fourteen
miles, narrowing to eleven at the spot where the retaining bund has
been constructed across the valley; and when this enormous
embankment was in effectual repair, and the reservoir filled by the
rains, the water must have been thrown back along the basin of the
valley for at least fifteen miles. It is difficult now to determine
the precise distances, as the overgrowth of wood and jungle has
obliterated all lines left by the original level of the lake at its
junction with the forest. Even when we rode along it, the centre of
the tank was deeply submerged, so that notwithstanding the partial
escape, the water still covered an area of ten miles in diameter.
Even now its depth when full must be very considerable, for high on
the branches of the trees that grow in the area, the last flood had
left quantities of driftwood and withered grass; and the rocks and
banks were coated with the yeasty foam, that remains after the
subsidence of an agitated flood.

The bed of the tank was difficult to ride over, being still soft
and treacherous, although covered everywhere with tall and waving
grass; and in every direction it was poched into deep holes by the
innumerable elephants that had congregated to roll in the soft mud,
to bathe in the collected water, or to luxuriate in the rich
herbage, under the cool shade of the trees. The ground, too, was
thrown up into hummocks like great molehills which, the natives
told us, were formed by a huge earthworm,
[pg 264] common
in Ceylon, nearly two feet in length, and as thick as a small
snake. Through these inequalities the water was still running off
in natural drains towards the great channel in the centre, that
conducts it to the broken sluice; and across these it was sometimes
difficult to find a safe footing for our horses.

In a lonely spot, towards the very centre of the tank, we came
unexpectedly upon an extraordinary scene. A sheet of still water,
two or three hundred yards broad, and about half a mile long, was
surrounded by a line of tall forest-trees, whose branches stretched
above its margin. The sun had not yet risen, when we perceived some
white objects in large numbers on the tops of the trees; and as we
came nearer, we discovered that a vast colony of pelicans had
formed their settlement and breeding-place in this solitary
retreat. They literally covered the trees in hundreds; and their
heavy nests, like those of the swan, constructed of large sticks,
forming great platforms, were sustained by the horizontal branches.
Each nest contained three eggs, rather larger than those of a
goose; and the male bird stood placidly beside the female as she
sat upon them.

Nor was this all; along with the pelicans prodigious numbers of
other water-birds had selected this for their dwelling-place, and
covered the trees in thousands, standing on the topmost branches;
tall flamingoes, herons, egrets, storks, ibises, and other waders.
We had disturbed them thus early, before their habitual hour for
betaking themselves to their fishing-fields. By degrees, as the
light increased, we saw them beginning to move upon the trees; they
looked around them on every side, stretched their awkward legs
behind them, extended their broad wings, gradually rose in groups,
[pg
265] and slowly soared away in the direction of the
seashore.

The pelicans were apparently later in their movements; they
allowed us to approach as near them as the swampy nature of the
soil would permit; and even when a gun was discharged amongst them,
only those moved off which the particles of shot disturbed. They
were in such numbers at this favourite place; that the water over
which they had taken up their residence was swarming with
crocodiles, attracted by the frequent fall of the young birds; and
the natives refused, from fear of them, to wade in for one of the
larger pelicans which had fallen, struck by a rifle ball. It was
altogether a very remarkable sight.

Of the birds familiar to European sportsmen, partridges and
quails are to be had at all times; the woodcock has occasionally
been shot in the hills, and the ubiquitous snipe, which arrives in
September from Southern India, is identified not alone by the
eccentricity of its flight, but by retaining in high perfection the
qualities which have endeared it to the gastronome at home. But the
magnificent pheasants, which inhabit the Himalayan range and the
woody hills of the Chin-Indian peninsula, have no representative
amongst the tribes that people the woods of Ceylon; although a bird
believed to be a pheasant has more than once been seen in the
jungle, close to Rangbodde, on the road to Neuera-ellia.

List of Ceylon Birds.

In submitting this Catalogue of the birds of Ceylon, I am
anxious to state that the copious mass of its contents
[pg 266] is
mainly due to the untiring energy and exertions of my friend, Mr.
E.L. Layard. Nearly every bird in the list has fallen by his gun;
so that the most ample facilities have been thus provided, not only
for extending the limited amount of knowledge which formerly
existed on this branch of the zoology of the island; but for
correcting, by actual comparison with recent specimens, the errors
which had previously prevailed as to imperfectly described species.
The whole of Mr. Layard's fine collection is at present in
England.

ACCIPITRES.

Aquila

Bonelli, Temm.

pennata, Gm.

Spizaëtus

Nipalensis, Hodgs.

limnæëtus, Horsf.

Ictinaëtus

Malayensis, Reinw.

Hæmatornis

Bacha, Daud.

spilogaster, Blyth.

Pontoaëtus

leucogaster, Gm.

ichthyaëtus, Horsf.

Haliastur

Indus, Bodd.

Falco

peregrinus, Linn.

peregrinator, Sund.

Tinnunculus

alaudarius, Briss.

Hypotriorchis

chicquera, Daud.

Baza

lophotes, Cuv.

Milvus

govinda, Sykes.

Elanus

melanopterus, Daud.

Astur

trivirgatus, Temm.

Accipiter

badius, Gm.

Circus

Swainsonii, A. Smith.

cinerascens, Mont.

melanoleucos, Gm.

æruginosus, Linn.

Athene

castonatus, Blyth.

scutulata, Raffles.

Ephialtes

scops, Linn.

lempijii, Horsf.

sunia, Hodgs.

Ketupa

Ceylonensis, Gm.

Syrnium

Indranee, Sykes.

Strix

Javanica, Gm.

PASSERES.

Batrachostomus

moniliger, Layard.

Caprimulgus

Mahrattensis, Sykes.

Kelaarti, Blyth.

Asiaticus, Lath.

Cypselus

batassiensis, Gray.

melba, Linn.

affinis, Gray.

Macropteryx

coronatus, Tickell.

Collocalia

brevirostris, McClel.

Acanthylis

caudacuta, Lath.

Hirundo

panayana, Gm.

daurica, Linn.

hyperythra, Layard.

domicola, Jerdon.

Coracias

Indica, Linn.

Harpactes

fasciatus, Gm.

Eurystomus

orientalis, Linn.

Halcyon

Capensis, Linn.

atricapillus, Gm.

Smyrnensis, Linn.

Ceyx

tridactyla, Linn.

Alcedo

Bengalensis, Gm.

Ceryle

rudis, Linn.

Merops

Philippinus, Linn.

viridis, Linn.

quincticolor, Vieill.

Upupa

nigripennis, Gould.

Nectarina

Zeylanica, Linn.

minima, Sykes.

Asiatica, Lath.

Lotenia, Linn.

Dicæum

minimum, Tickell.

Phyllornis

Malabarica, Lath.

Jerdoni, Blyth.

Dendrophila

frontalis, Horsf.

Piprisoma

agile, Blyth.

Orthotomus

longicauda, Gm.

Cisticola

cursitans, Frankl.

omalura, Blyth.

Drymoica

valida, Blyth.

inornata, Sykes.

Prinia

socialis, Sykes.

Acrocephalus

dumetorum, Blyth.

Phyllopneuste

nitidus, Blyth.

montanus, Blyth.

viridanus, Blyth.

Copsychus

saularis, Linn.

Kittacincla

macrura, Gm.

Pratincola

caprata, Linn.

atrata, Kelaart.

Calliope

cyanea, Hodgs.

Thamnobia

fulicata, Linn.

Cyanecula

Suecica, Linn.

Sylvia

affinis, Blyth.

Parus

cinereus, Vieill.

Zosterops

palpebrosus, Temm.
[pg 267]

Iöra

Zeylanica, Gm.

typhia, Linn.

Motacilla

sulphurea, Becks.

Indica, Gm.

Madraspatana, Briss.

Budytes

viridis, Gm.

Anthus

rutulus, Vieill.

Richardii, Vieill.

striolatus, Blyth.

Brachypteryx

Palliseri, Kelaart.

Alcippe

nigrifrons, Blyth.

Pitta

brachyura, Jerd.

Oreocincla

spiloptera, Blyth.

Merula

Wardii, Jerd.

Kinnisii, Kelaart.

Zoothera

imbricata, Layard.

Garrulax

cinereifrons, Blyth.

Pormatorhinus

melanurus, Blyth.

Malacocercus

rufescens, Blyth.

griseus, Gm.

striatus, Swains.

Pellorneum

fuscocapillum, Blyth.

Dumetia

albogularis, Blyth.

Chrysomma

Sinense, Gm.

Oriolus

melanocephalus, Linn.

Indicus, Briss.

Criniger

ictericus, Stickl.

Pycnonotus

pencillatus, Kelaart.

flavirictus, Strickl.

hæmorrhous, Gm.

atricapillus, Vieill.

Hemipus

picatus, Sykes.

Hypsipetes

Nilgherriensis, Jerd.

Cyornis

rubeculoïdes, Vig.

Myiagra

azurea, Bodd.

Cryptolopha

cinereocapilla, Vieill.

Leucocerca

compressirostris, Blyth.

Tchitrea

paradisi, Linn.

*Butalis

latirostris, Raffles.

Muttui, Layard.

Stoparola

melanops, Vig.

Pericrocotus

flammeus, Forst.

peregrinus, Linn.

Campephaga

Macei, Less.

Sykesii, Strickl.

Artamus

fuscus, Vieill.

Edolius

paradiseus, Gm.

Dicrurus

macrocereus, Vieill.

edoliformis, Blyth.

longicaudatus, A. Hoy.

leucopygialis, Blyth.

cærulescens, Linn.

Irena

puella, Lath.

Lanius

superciliosus, Lath.

erythronotus, Vig.

Tephrodornis

affinis, Blyth.

Cissa

puella, Blyth & Layard.

Corvus

splendens, Vieill.

culminatus, Sykes.

Eulabes

religiosa, Linn.

ptilogenys, Blyth.

Pastor

roseus, Linn.

Hetærornis

pagodarum, Gm.

albifrontata, Layard.

Acridotheres

tristis, Linn.

Ploceus

manyar, Horsf.

baya, Blyth.

Munia

undulata, Latr.

Malabarica, Linn.

Malacca, Linn.

rubronigra, Hodgs.

striata, Linn.

Kelaarti, Blyth.

Passer

Indicus, Jard. & Selb.

Alauda

gulgula, Frank.

Malabarica, Scop.

Pyrrhulauda

grisea, Scop.

Mirafra

affinis, Jerd.

Buceros

gingalensis, Shaw.

Malabaricus, Jerd.

SCANSORES.

Loriculus

Asiaticus, Lath.

Palæcornis

Alexandri, Linn.

torquatus, Briss.

cyanocephalus, Linn.

Calthropæ, Layard.

Megalaima

Indica, Latr.

Zeylanica, Gmel.

flavifrons, Cuv.

rubicapilla, Gm.

Picus

gymnophthalmus, Blth.

Mahrattensis, Lath.

Macei, Vieill.

Gecinus

chlorophanes, Vieill.

Brachypternus

aurantius, Linn.

Ceylonus, Forst.

rubescens, Vieill.

Stricklandi, Layard.

Micropternus

gularis, Jerd.

Centropus

rufipennis, Illiger.

chlororhynchos, Blyth.

Oxylophus

melanoleucos, Gm.

Coromandus, Linn.

Endynamys

orientalis, Linn.

Cuculus

Poliocephalus, Lath.

striatus, Drapiex.

canorus, Linn.

Polyphasia

tenuirostris, Gray.

Sonneratii, Lath.

Hierococcyx

varius, Vahl.

Surniculus

dicruroïdes, Hodgs.

Phoenicophaus

pyrrhocephalus, Forst.

Zanclostomus

viridirostris, Jerd.

COLUMBÆ.

Treron

bicincta, Jerd.

flavogularis, Blyth.

Pompadoura, Gm.

chlorogaster, Blyth.

Carpophaga

pusilla, Blyth.

Torringtoniæ, Kelaart.

Alsocomus

puniceus, Tickel.

Columba

intermedia, Strickl.

Turtur

risorius, Linn.

Suratensis, Lath.

humilis, Temm.

orientalis, Lath.

Chalcophaps

Indicus, Linn.

GALLINÆ.

Pavo

cristatus, Linn.

Gallus

Lafayetti, Lesson.

Galloperdix

bicalcaratus, Linn.

Francolinus

Ponticerianus, Gm.

Perdicula

agoondah, Sykes.
[pg 268]

Coturnix

Chinensis, Linn.

Turnix ocellatus

var. Bengalensis, Blyth.

var. taigoor, Sykes.

GRALLÆ.

Esacus

recurvirostris, Cuv.

Oedienemus

crepitans, Temm.

Cursorius

Coromandelicus, Gm.

Lobivanellus

bilobus, Gm.

Göensis, Gm.

Charadrius

virginicus, Bechs.

Hiaticula

Philippensis, Scop.

Cantiana, Lath.

Leschenaultii, Less.

Strepsilas

Interpres, Linn.

Ardea

purpurea, Linn.

cinerea, Linn.

asha, Sykes.

intermedia, Wagler.

garzetta, Linn.

alba, Linn.

bubulcus, Savig.

Ardeola

leucoptera, Bodd.

Ardetta

cinnamomea, Gm.

flavicollis, Lath.

Sinensis, Gm.

Butoroides

Javanica, Horsf.

Platalea

leucorodia, Linn.

Nycticorax

griseus, Linn.

Tigrisoma

melanolopha, Raffl.

Mycteria

australis, Shaw.

Leptophilus

Javanica, Horsf.

Ciconia

leucocephala, Gm.

Anastomus

oscitans, Bodd.

Tantalus

leucocephalus, Gm.

Geronticus

melanocephalus, Lath.

Falcinellus

igneus, Gm.

Numenias

arquatus, Linn.

phæopus, Linn.

Totanus

fuscus, Linn.

calidris, Linn.

glottis, Linn.

stagnalis, Bechst.

Actitis

glareola, Gm.

ochropus, Linn.

hypoleucos, Linn.

Tringa

minuta, Leist.

subarquata, Gm.

Limicola

platyrhyncha, Temm.

Limosa

ægocephala, Linn.

Himantopus

candidus, Bon.

Recurvirostra

avocetta, Linn.

Hæmatopus

ostralegus, Linn.

Rhynchoea

Bengalensis, Linn.

Scolopax

rusticola, Linn.

Gallinago

stenura, Temm.

scolopacina, Bon.

gallinula, Linn.

Hydrophasianus

Sinensis, Gm.

Ortygometra

rubiginosa, Temm.

Corethura

Zeylanica, Gm.

Rallus

striatus, Linn.

Indicus, Blyth.

Porphyrio

poliocephalus, Lath.

Porzana

pygmæa, Nan.

Gallinula

phoenicura, Penn.

chloropus, Linn.

cristata, Lath.

ANSERES.

Phoenicopterus

ruber, Linn.

Sarkidiornis

melanonotos, Penn.

Nettapus

Coromandelianus, Gm.

Anas

poecilorhyncha, Penn.

Dendrocygnus

arcuatus, Cuv.

Dafila

acuta, Linn.

Querquedula

crecca, Linn.

circia, Linn.

Fuligula

rufina, Pall.

Spatula

clypeata, Linn.

Podiceps

Philippensis, Gm.

Larus

brunnicephalus, Jerd.

ichthyaëtus, Pall.

Sylochelidon

Caspius, Lath.

Hydrochelidon

Indicus, Steph.

Gelochelidon

Anglicus, Mont.

Onychoprion

anasthætus, Scop.

Sterna

Javanica, Horsf.

melanogaster, Temm.

minuta, Linn.

Seena

aurantia, Gray.

Thalasseus

Bengalensis, Less.

cristata, Stepth.

Dromas

ardeola, Payk.

Atagen

ariel, Gould.

Thalassidroma

melanogaster, Gould.

Plotus

melanogaster, Gm.

Pelicanus

Philippensis, Gm.

Graculus

Sinensis, Shaw.

pygmæus, Pallas.

[pg
269]

NOTE.

The following is a list of the birds which are, as far as is at
present known, peculiar to the island; it will probably be
determined at some future day that some included in it have a wider
geographical range.

Hæmatornis spilogaster. The "Ceylon eagle;" was discovered
by Mr. Layard in the Wanny, and by Dr. Kelaart at Trincomalie.

Athene castonotus. The chestnut-winged hawk owl. This pretty
little owl was added to the list of Ceylon birds by Dr. Templeton.
Mr. Blyth is at present of opinion that this bird is identical with
Ath. Castanopterus, Horsf. of Java as figured by Temminck:
P. Col.

Batrachostomus moniliger. The oil bird; was discovered amongst
the precipitous rocks of the Adam's Peak range by Mr. Layard.
Another specimen was sent about the same time to Sir James Emerson
Tennent from Avisavelle. Mr. Mitford has met with it at
Ratnapoora.

Caprimulgus Kelaarti. Kelaart's nightjar; swarms on the marshy
plains of Neuera-ellia at dusk.

Hirundo hyperythra. The red-bellied swallow; was discovered in
1849, by Mr. Layard at Ambepusse. They build a globular nest, with
a round hole at top. A pair built in the ring for a hanging lamp in
Dr. Gardner's study at Peradenia, and hatched their young,
undisturbed by the daily trimming and lighting of the lamp.

Cisticola omalura. Layard's mountain grass warbler; is found in
abundance on Horton Plain and Neuera-ellia, among the long Patena
grass.

Oreocincla spiloptera. The spotted thrush is only found in the
mountain zone about lofty trees.

Merula Kinnisii. The Neuera-ellia blackbird; was added by Dr.
Kelaart.

Garrulax cinereifrons. The ashy-headed babbler; was found by Mr.
Layard near Ratnapoora.

Pomatorhinus melanurus. Mr. Layard states that the mountain
babbler frequents low, scraggy, impenetrable brush, along the
margins of deserted cheena land. This may turn out to be little
more than a local yet striking variety of P. Horsfieldii of the
Indian Peninsula.

Malacocercus rufescens. The red dung thrush added by Dr.
Templeton to the Singhalese Fauna, is found in thick jungle in the
southern and midland districts.

Pycnonotus penicillatus. The yellow-eared bulbul; was found by
Dr. Kelaart at Neuera-ellia.

Butalis Muttui. This very handsome flycatcher was procured at
Point Pedro, by Mr. Layard.

Dicrurus edoliformis. Dr. Templeton found this kingcrow at the
Bibloo Oya. Mr. Layard has since got it at Ambogammoa.

Dicrurus leucopygialis. The Ceylon kingcrow was sent to Mr.
Blyth from the vicinity of Colombo, by Dr. Templeton. A species
very closely allied to D. coerulescens of the Indian continent.

Tephrodornis affinis. The Ceylon butcher-bird. A migatory
species found in the wooded grass lands in October.

Cissa puella. Layard's mountain jay. A most lovely bird, found
along mountain streams at Neuera-ellia and elsewhere.

Eulabes ptilogenys. Templeton's mynah. The largest and most
beautiful of the species. It is found in flocks perching on the
highest trees, feeding on berries.

Munia Kelaarti. This Grosbeak previously assumed to be M.
pectoralls of Jerdon; is most probably peculiar to Ceylon.

Loriculus asiaticus. The small parroquet, abundant in various
districts.

Palæornis Calthropæ. Layard's purple-headed
parroquet, found at Kandy, is a very handsome bird, flying in
flocks, and resting on the summits of the very highest trees. Dr.
Kelaart states that it is the only parroquet of the Neuera-ellia
range.

Megalaima flavifrons. The yellow-headed barbet, is not
uncommon.

Megalaima rubricapilla, is found in most parts of the
island.

[pg
270]

Picus gymnophthalmus. Layard's woodpecker. The smallest of the
species, was discovered near Colombo, amongst jak-trees.

Brachypternus Ceylonus. The Ceylon woodpecker, is found in
abundance near Neuera-ellia.

Brachypternus rubescens. The red woodpecker.

Centropus chlororhynchus. The yellow-billed cuckoo, was detected
by Mr. Layard in dense jungle near Colombo and Avisavelle.

Phoenicophaus pyrrhocephalus. The malkoha, is confined to the
southern highlands.

Treron Pompadoura. The Pompadour pigeon. "The Prince of Canino
has shown that this is a totally distinct bird from Tr.
flavogularis, with which it was confounded: it is much smaller,
with the quantity of maroon colour on the mantle greatly
reduced."—Paper by Mr. BLYTH, Mag. Nat. Hist. p. 514:
1857.

Carpophaga Torringtoniæ. Lady Torrington's pigeon; a very
handsome pigeon discovered in the highlands by Dr. Kelaart. It
flies high in long sweeps, and makes its nest on the loftiest
trees. Mr. Blyth is of opinion that it is no more than a local
race, barely separable from C. Elphinstonii of the Nilgiris and
Malabar coast.

Carpophaga pusilla. The little-hill dove a migratory species
found by Mr. Layard in the mountain zone, only appearing with the
ripened fruit of the teak, banyan, &c., on which they feed.

Gallus Lafayetti.—The Ceylon jungle fowl. The female of
this handsome bird was figured by Mr. GRAY (Ill. Ind. Zool.)
under the name of G. Stanleyi. The cock bird had long been lost to
naturalists, until a specimen was forwarded by Dr. Templeton to Mr.
Blyth, who at once recognised it as the long-looked-for male of Mr.
Gray's recently described female. It is abundant in all the
uncultivated portions of Ceylon; coming out into the open spaces to
feed in the mornings and evenings. Mr. Blyth states that there can
be no doubt that Hardwicke's published figure refers to the hen of
this species, long afterwards termed G. Lafayetti.

Copsychussaularis, Linn.. Called by the Europeans in
Ceylon the "Magpie Robin." This is not to be confounded with the
other popular favourite the "Indian Robin" (Thamnobia fulicata,
Linn.), which is "never seen in the unfrequented jungle,
but, like the coco-nut palm, which the Singhalese assert will only
flourish within the sound of the human voice, it is always found
near the habitations of men."—E.L. LAYARD.

Buceros pica, Scop.; B. Malaharicus, Jerd. The
natives assert that B. pica builds in holes in the trees, and that
when incubation has fairly commenced, the female takes her seat on
the eggs, and the male closes up the orifice by which she entered,
leaving only a small aperture through which he feeds his partner,
whilst she successfully guards their treasures from the monkey
tribes; her formidable bill nearly filling the entire entrance. See
a paper by Edgar L. Layard, Esq. Mag. Nat. Hist. March,
1853. Dr. Horsfield had previously observed the same habit in a
species of Buceros in Java. (See HORSFIELD and MOORE'S Catal.
Birds, E.I. Comp. Mus. vol. ii.) It is curious that a similar
trait, though necessarily from very different instincts, is
exhibited by the termites, who literally build a cell round the
great progenitrix of the community, and feed her through
apertures.

The hornbill is also frugivorous, and the natives assert that
when endeavouring to detach a fruit, if the stem is too tough to be
severed by his mandibles, he flings himself off the branch so as to
add the weight of his body to the pressure of his beak. The
hornbill abounds in Cuttack, and bears there the name of
"Kuchila-Kai," or Kuchila-eater, from its partiality for the fruit
of the Strychnus nuxvomica. The natives regard its flesh as a
sovereign specific for rheumatic affections.—Asiat.
Res. ch. xv. p. 184.

E.L. Layard. Europeans have given this bird the name of the
"Brahminy Kite," probably from observing the superstitious feeling
of the natives regarding it, who believe that when two armies are
about to engage, its appearance prognosticates victory to the party
over whom it hovers.

Milvus govinda, Sykes. Dr. Hamilton Buchanan remarks that
when gorged this bird delights to sit on the entablature of
buildings, exposing its back to the hottest rays of the sun,
placing its breast against the wall, and stretching out its wings
exactly as the Egyptian Hawk is represented on the
monuments.

Syrnium Indranee, Sykes. Mr. Blyth writes to me from
Calcutta that there are some doubts about this bird. There would
appear to be three or four distinguishable races, the Ceylon bird
approximating most nearly to that of the Malayan Peninsula.

The horror of this nocturnal scream was equally prevalent in the
West as in the East. Ovid introduces it in his Fasti, L. vi.
l. 139; and Tibullus in his Elegies, L. i. El. 5. Statius
says—

Nocturnæque gemunt striges, et feralla bubo

Damna canens. Theb. iii. l. 511.

But Pliny, l. xi. c. 93, doubts as to what bird produced the
sound;—and the details of Ovid's description do not apply to
an owl.

Mr. Mitford, of the Ceylon Civil Service, to whom I am indebted
for many valuable notes relative to the birds of the island,
regards the identification of the Singhalese Devil-Bird as open to
similar doubt: he says—"The Devil-Bird is not an owl. I never
heard it until I came to Kornegalle, where it haunts the rocky hill
at the back of Government-house. Its ordinary note is a magnificent
clear shout like that of a human being, and which can be heard at a
great distance, and has a fine effect in the silence of the closing
night. It has another cry like that of a hen just caught, but the
sounds which have earned for it its bad name, and which I have
heard but once to perfection, are indescribable, the most appalling
that can be imagined, and scarcely to be heard without shuddering;
I can only compare it to a boy in torture, whose screams are being
stopped by being strangled. I have offered rewards for a specimen,
but without success. The only European who had seen and fired at
one agreed with the natives that it is of the size of a pigeon,
with a long tail. I believe it is a Podargus or Night Hawk." In a
subsequent note he further says—"I have since seen two birds
by moonlight, one of the size and shape of a cuckoo, the other a
large black bird, which I imagine to be the one which gives these
calls."

An epitome of what has been written on this subject will be
found in Dr. Horsfield's Catalogue of the Birds in the E.I.
Comp. Museum, vol. i. p. 101, &c. Mr. Morris assures me, that
he has found the nests of the Esculent Swallow eighty miles distant
from the sea.

"Hazardasitaum" the Persian name for the bulbul. "The Persians,"
according to Zakary ben Mohamed al Caswini, "say the bulbul has a
passion for the rose, and laments and cries when he sees it
pulled."—OUSELEY'S Oriental Collections, vol. i. p.
16. According to Pallas it is the true nightingale of Europe,
Sylvia luscinia, which the Armenians call boulboul, and the
Crim-Tartars byl-byl-i.

There is another species, the C. culminatus, so called
from the convexity of its bill; but though seen in the towns, it
lives chiefly in the open country, and may be constantly observed
wherever there are buffaloes, perched on their backs and engaged,
in company with the small Minah (Acridotheres tristis), in
freeing them from ticks.

Similar instances are recorded in other countries of sudden and
prodigious mortality amongst crows; but whether occasioned by
lightning seems uncertain. In 1839 thirty-three thousand dead crows
were found on the shores of a lake in the county Westmeath in
Ireland after a storm.—THOMPSON'S Nat. Hist. Ireland,
vol. i. p. 319. PATTERSON in his Zoology, p. 356, mentions
other cases.